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Twitter tip leads Bedford police to bank robbery suspect

The Lowell Sun

Posted:
08/11/2014 04:48:47 PM EDT

Bedford Police distributed this photo of a robbery at the Bank of America.

BEDFORD -- A surveillance photograph posted on Twitter by Bedford police following a bank robbery at Bank of America on Great Road Monday afternoon quickly generated tips that led police to make an arrest.

The Bank of America Branch at 152 Great Road was robbed by a stocky white male in a T-Shirt and jeans shorts at 12:13 p.m.

The suspect claimed to have a firearm and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. Less than an hour later Bedford Police had posted a bank surveillance photograph of the suspect on Twitter on social media.

A short time later police began getting tips from people identifying the man in the photograph as Joseph Barrett, 45, of Dorchester, who works at an undisclosed company on South Road in Bedford.

Police located Barrett still at work. He was arrested and charged with a single count of armed robbery. Barrett will be arraigned Tuesday in Concord District Court.

"I wish to comment the members of the public who recognized this dangerous individual on social media and undoubtedly led us to a quick arrest in this case," Bedford Police Chief Robert Bongiorno said. "The kinds of police-public partnerships we have developed in Bedford, using the social media tools at our disposal, are invaluable."